Friday, March 24, 2017

THE WEEK OF MARCH 24-30
A quiet week in East Bay government is on the horizon, although, not surprising for the end of the month. Nevertheless, "resistance" to President Trump and his policies continue to erupt or constantly percolate all over the East Bay. This also could be the week when the long-running saga over the Raiders future in Oakland finally ends, but does Mayor Libby Schaaf have something up her sleeve?

➤NFL owners could schedule a vote allowing the Oakland Raiders to relocate to Las Vegas on Monday, according to several reports. Noted NFL insider Jason LaCanfora believes it's a done deal.

--After being a skeptic throughout this process and especially in the aftermath of owner Mark Davis’ deal with casino magnate Sheldon Adelson falling apart around the Super Bowl, there are too many people I trust telling me this has become basically a fait accompli for me to deny it any longer," wrote LaCanfora on CBSSports.com.
--By Monday night, Davis will be cracking open the bubbly and toasting to his future on the Strip, because with the NFL including a formal vote on Vegas on its official agenda for the annual spring meeting, there is almost no time for this to fall apart now."

--“This is going to happen,” said one well-connected league source who has been in close contact with many influential owners on this matter. “Enough people will hold their noses and pray for the best and vote this through. Oakland -- and by Oakland I mean the government officials there -- hasn’t stepped up nearly enough, and the league is ready to put this to a vote. And while there is some trepidation about this market, it is going to pass.”

--Next up: Waiting for the only Oakland franchise willing to stay. Expect the Athletics to disclose this summer which of up to five locations it will build a new ballpark in Oakland, including the existing Coliseum site and Howard Terminal on the bay.

➤San Leandro Mayor Pauline Cutter Russo hopes to trumpet all that is good about her city while the East Bay's state legislators discuss a number of their bills at the committee level next week before Sacramento heads for Spring Break on April 6.

➤Alameda County's Public Defender gets some financial help to aid those at risk of deportation for immigration issues.

➤Similarly, Oakland's wheels of government is mostly on break all next week and the East Bay Regional Park District board of directors go on a field trip.

➤Also expect Rep. Eric Swalwell to show up on your favorite cable news show every day next week and seemingly every hour.

Here's your EBC AGENDA for the coming week:

SAN LEANDRO -- Monday, March 27, 6:30 p.m. -- San Leandro State of the City – Mayor Cutter previewed the annual state of the city with a video posted last week on social media. Expect an address heavy on the city's diversity and unity in San Leandro. Cutter's own business card totes the unofficial city slogan of "A community where kindness matters." The phrase is featured in the short video promoting Monday's speech along with community members extolling similar sentiment. As a side note: San Leandro definitely spares no expense when it comes to its media presentations.

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GATHERINGS

BARBARA LEE TOWN HALL -- Saturday, Mar. 25 -- Laney College Gym in Oakland, 9 a.m.-12 p.m. Expect much gloating over the crashing and burning of the GOP's effort to repeal Obamacare.

RAIDERS RALLY WITH LIBBY SCHAAF-- Saturday, Mar. 25 -- Oakland Mayor Libby Schaaf, Ronnie Lott and his Fortress Investment Group backers, and Raider Nation will hold a rally at 11 a.m. outside the Eastside Club at the Coliseum (Plaza adjacent to the BART ramp). The event may be signaling a last-ditch effort by the city/county to keep the Raiders in Oakland.

--Public Defender's office grant for immigrants-- "To support the expansion of our immigration services, Centro Legal de la Raza has awarded the Alameda County Public Defender's office a grant in the amount of $405,000 to support the defense and protection of immigrant communities and families through the Alameda County Immigrant Legal and Education Partnership."

--The overreaching goal of this project is to create a legal services, education, and rapid response network for East Bay immigrants at risk of deportation.

--FUN FACT -- Alameda County Public Works maintains 470,989 total miles of roadways. The number is to be certified by the Board of Supervisors on Tuesday.

STATE LEGISLATURE -- STATE SENATE HEARINGS -- State Sen. Nancy Skinner’s SB 201 is heard in the Senate Public Employment and Retirement Committee on Monday, 2 p.m.

"This bill would make student employees, whose employment is contingent upon their status as students, “employees” and “higher education employees” for purposes of the act."[WATCH COMMITTEE HEARINGS at CalChannel.com]

--SNUFFED OUT -- State Sen. Steve Glazer brings his SB 386 instituting smoking bans at state beaches and park to Tuesday morning’s Senate Natural Resources and Water Committee, 9 a.m.

--STRIKE OUT -- The same morning Glazer’s SB 604, another attempt to ban BART strikes, will be heard in the Senate Governmental Organization Committee, 9:30 a.m. Glazer's East Bay GOP cohort, Walnut Creek Assemblymember Catharine Baker, is a co-author.

At the Thurmond-chaired Assembly Labor and Employment Committee on Thursday, his own AB 387 (labor code; relating to wages) to on the docket. The bill allows for minimum wage for interns in the health-related work., 1:30 p.m.

--Assembly Budget Subcommittee on Education Finance takes a look at the University of California on Wednesday, 4 p.m. Earlier this year, the U.C. Board of Regents voted to increase tuition by five percent, first such hike in six years.

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OAKLAND CITY COUNCIL – The entire week’s slate of City Council Committee hearings are canceled, including Thursday’s Rules Committee meeting. But a regular meeting of the Oakland City Council is scheduled for Tuesday, Mar. 28, 5:30 p.m. to wrap up several agenda items approved last week for a second and final reading before passage. They include, Oakland's citywide mobile food vending program and the controversial equity permitting process for cannabis dispensaries. [AGENDA HERE]

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EAST BAY REGIONAL PARKS DISTRICT -- Field trip! -- Board members are going on a field trip Friday to the Byron Hot Springs where potential acquisition of land by the EBRPD is being discussed... Meanwhile, EBRPD staff intends to issue an Request for Proposal for district-wide banking services. Wells Fargo is its current provider and could follow a trend of East Bay municipalities and jurisdictions seeking to discontinue business with the banking institution over its corporate malfeasance involving fake bank accounts and its partial financing of the Dakota Access Pipeline, a cause celebre of local progressive activists.